8th Grade

Welcome to the 8th Grade SDAL Site!

Media Literacy: Marking Period 1​ and 2

Unit #1: Living in a Participatory CultureThe unit is going to help students evaluate their own media usage and consider weather they are using digital media in a positive and wise way.

Unit #2: Calling on Critical ThinkingNot everything we see online is accurate information. In this unit students will become a C.R.A.P. detector and evaluate online information.

Unit #3: Seeing StereotypesA critical consumer should be able to recognize and understand the role media plays in creating and perpetuation stereotypes. During this unit, students will observe how popular media represents men and women and how this, in turn, impacts how people view themselves and each other.

Unit #4: Visual LiteracyMedia today is increasingly visual. From Instagram to YouTube, Snapchat, and more, many of the messages people consume and create are images. This unit will help students to learn how to read and create visual media. Understanding visual language helps them to be less susceptible to manipulation, and also increase their understanding of media as "constructed".

Unit #5: SextingA serious digital age issue and in many states, individuals who distribute, possess or produce a sexually explicit image of a minor could be charged under the State's child pornography statutes. According to research, 28% of high school students sampled reported having sent a naked picture of themselves through text or email (sext), and 31% reported having asked someone for a sext. Over half (57%) had been asked to send a sext, with a vast majority bothered by having asked. Most people are unaware of this potential serious consequences of "sexting", which is the purpose of this unit.

Unit #6: What's News?While the Internet has made our lived better in many ways, it has also made it easier for hoaxes, fake news, and misleading stories that sound completely credible to spread far and wide. Today it is not uncommon for "breaking news" items found on Facebook and Twitter to be picked up by reputable news organizations (who sometimes have to retract their stories.). This unit helps students sift through that information to make sure they are reading credible news stories.

Unit #7: Positive ParticipationThrough the power of relationships, sharing of experiences, and organizing online, previously insignificant voices are pouring into and shaping public conversations like never before. This unit will give students the tools to know how they use media positively and productively so that, hopefully, they can become one of these voices.